Not so Different
by SaiyanWarrior200
Summary: During a battle with Orochimaru, Naruto is told something he first scoffs at. But as he continues Naruto comes to a realization of what he is talking about as The Snake's eye hasn't only been on Sasuke. Read and Review please
1. Chapter 1

This is something based on what I had read earlier and actually found interesting and possible. Showcasing that Naruto has more in common with his most hated enemy than he thought possible.

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto

"I'll kill you!" Naruto shouted throwing the Rasengan at the man. The taller man dodged it easily and extending his arm several snakes shot out towards him. Naruto dodged the bites and doing hand symbols cast a Wind Jutsu destroying them

Naruto his eyes red lunged at the man who dodged it easily smirking at him as he stood on a branch. He threw a kunai at him who casually caught it.

"Tsk, Tsk, Tsk, ninjas don't let their anger guide them." Orochimaru The Snake Sannin said to the blow throwing it back at him who dodged it. "Did you miss that lesson during the Academy?" Naruto glared at him panting hard full of rage as they had been battling for an hour it felt like to him. Despite his moves and techniques he had used he wasn't able to land a full hit on him as Orochimaru had that smug smile on his face the whole time.

Naruto leapt at him who dodged his punches and kicks effortlessly doing so. Naruto got madder at him as his eyes were red and an aura was forming around him. It was just them as Naruto had gone off after him when he saw him, not wasting the time for Sakura and the others to regroup and go with him. He was finally going to kill him for all he had done!

Orochimaru did not see concerned with what was going on, he actually seemed amused at what was happening. Naruto lashed out at him and he dodged it with Kusanagi and drew him back.

"Is there any reason your so mad at me?" He asked him the two standing ten feet apart from another. "I don't recall doing anything to harm you before. Don't tell me you still blame me for Sasuke leaving? He went on his own, give up this obsession with him. After all that pink haired girl is all yours now that he's not there to get her attention." He said smirking.

"You killed Sarutobi!" Naruto shouted at him lunging at him. Orochimaru dodged it and kicked him in the side knocking him to the ground.

"I find it amazing, kill one man and you are a monster, a pariah who deserves to be struck down. But kill a hundred and people hail you as a hero, the second coming of the Messiah. Tell me Naruto-kun, how many people have you killed?" Orochimaru asked him as he got up.

"What the hell are you talking about?" Naruto yelled at him fury in his eyes.

"Come on, don't tell me you have never stained your hands with blood or thought about tearing someone's heart from their chest boy." Orochimaru said with a grin. "Tell me, you killed people before, how many?"

Naruto was silent as he glared at him as he thought back of people he had fought and had faced and beaten. "I don't know! I've lost count of how many people I've beaten! Why the hell does it matter to you!" He shouted at him his eyes slowly turning back to blue and his aura of chakra slowly faded.

Orochimaru laughed not like one of his cruel inhumane laughs, this one sounded joyful and humorous as if receiving a well timed joke. "You see, you no longer have the innocence deluded fantasy you lived in before. At least you managed to enjoy a few more years of it, I was half you age before I killed somebody." He said and Naruto's eyes widened a bit, half his age, he couldn't have been no older than seven when he first did. "It was either me or a Ninja from Kumo who would've died that day, luckily I slashed his throat killing him having him die in a pool of his blood before he could do the same to me. You killed Raiga Kurosuki didn't you?"

Naruto remembered that name, one of The Hidden Swordsmen of Mist. "That's not true, he killed himself with his own lightning!" He shouted recalling him killing himself.

"So you believe, I've been watching you, he was going to die when you knocked him off that cliff, no chance of his body surviving the impact of the fall once he hit bottom. It was either that or a less painful death by stabbing himself with his own weapon against him. Either way, you were responsible for his death."

"Well he threatened a lot of people and buried anyone who opposed him alive!" Naruto protested.

"KuKuku," Orochimaru laughed. "Only because he lashed out at the world that had beaten and abused him tearing out his heart in front of him and spat on it. You remember Zabuza Momochi, he killed all his classmates and the proctors at Mist when he was just six years old cause of what he had to go through. But here's another question, if you saw a wolf chasing after a rabbit what would you do?"

Naruto looked at him confused. "I'd help the rabbit, what else would I do?" Orochimaru cackled in delight at him making him angry. "Stop laughing at me!" He shouted his eyes turning red.

"I'm sorry but I just expected more from you, I would help the wolf. For you see boy, there are no sides for every action you take. If you save the Rabbit you allow it to live, but you are also denying the Wolf its opportunity to live as well, it could be starving for all you know not having eaten in days and you robbed it of its last chance at a meal ensuring it would starve to death." Orochimaru said to him.

"If a ninja from a rival village tasked with doing something failed his mission thanks to you and was killed as punishment, his family would suffer. Not only would a child lose his father, but his family would also lose their means of income and be disgraced. You didn't really think about that do you? It does not concern you at all because it doesn't affect you. All that matters is achieving your next move." He asked him. "We're not so different you and I."

"I'm nothing like you!" Naruto shouted in rage. "I don't abandon my friends and go off and hurt people like you do! Don't you ever compare me to you, you sick bastard!"

"Struck a nerve eh? People have said that Sasuke is like me but they are wrong, Sasuke is nothing like me. I move forward in my goals, he is stuck with tunnel vision thinking he can achieve his goal of killing his brother. I would've moved on from that a long time ago and onto more important matters.

"That still doesn't mean I'm anything like you!"

"You forget boy, one tiny detail." Orochimaru said and closed his eyes smiling as if he was about to reveal the secret of life. "I too desired to be Hokage as well." He said opening them.

Naruto remembered Jiraiya telling him that during the training trip. Orochimaru had wanted to be Hokage as well but had been passed in favor of The Yondaime. "Maybe so but you only wanted it so you could have power!" Naruto shouted at him.

"Maybe, but even before you were even thought about being conceived I had longed to be Hokage. Thinking that I could create a better world than the one I was forced to live in. I was loyal to Konoha, doing everything I could for it. Defeating those who endangered it, living through not one but three wars where a person is lucky to live past his first battle. I did all that they asked me, Sarutobi telling me that I was destined for it and they repaid me by stabbing me in the back when it should have been mine!" He said and anger showed in his eyes.

"You created the Cursed Seal! You killed nearly sixty babies you experimented on!" Naruto yelled at him.

Again Orochimaru looked at him with an amused look in his eyes. "Oh really? Here's a hint boy, I didn't originally do that just to kill people and my own amusement like you think, you see I was ordered to do it, by two people in fact. The first is a one eyed hawk who I sure is watching you with his good eye very close wondering what he can do to make you his weapon. The second, well I'll give you a hint, his name starts with an S and he was my sensei."

Naruto's eyes widened at that. "No…" He said in disbelief.

"Yes, it was none other than The Sandaime himself, Hiruzen Sarutobi who made me do it." He said with a grin as he saw the shock in the boy's eyes. "You see, Sarutobi despite his grandfatherly figure everyone remembers could be just as cruel as me if he wanted too. I was once a hero loved by Konoha. He made me do what I did, for you see The Cursed Seal was designed to create super soldiers, the next breed of Ninja who would be unstoppable in battle able to take on small armies by themselves, I was ordered to create them for the good of Konoha. It's not my fault if the ones I give it too can't control or withstand it and so die within a week." He said shrugging as if it was not important. "And inplanting the DNA and genes of the Shodaime into infants, that too was their orders. So, who's the real monster?"

"That still doesn't mean what you did is forgivable!" Naruto said to him but doubt was in his voice now at learning that Sarutobi the man he had looked up to for so long had ordered such a thing.

"Of course once everything turned sour a scapegoat was needed," Orochimaru responded "I got all the blame for what happened. It was Sarutobi giving Minato: Jiraiya's treasured student who was the only one of his who actually survived the wars. Anko and my other students actually lived past the wars and the first two died of natural causes. Minato who was unproven, an idealistic fool who was blind to the true nature of the world and ignorant to what would happen the title of Yondaime that was the last straw. My own Sensei who I had loved like a father had turned his back on me, all for the good of Konoha." He said bitterly remembering that day when all his work had been for naught. "If that is how the village repays me for what I've done for them, so I have no use for any of them. Not even Tsunade-hime…"

Naruto was silent letting it all sink in what he was telling him.

"Kakashi and Jiraiya have wasted your potential so busy reading those novels instead of recognizing ability when its right in front of them." He said shaking his head surprising him. "You see, I was curious of you first most and if not for the Kyuubi I was tempted to have you as a body. You truly have the makings of a legend despite hiding it behind a fools' façade. I've watched all your fights and recognized how you were able to win when all odds dictated you would lose, even against Gaara at The Chunin Exams. Most would dictate it as a fluke but I dissected how you won and realized it was your plan all along. You used the new Rasengan, one that Minato had given up on not as close combat but as a projectile, tearing Kakuzu apart. Not even Jiraiya would have thought of that. You also used your pranks as a child to not just get attention but to test yourself. If they didn't work you just tried something else that would work and they wouldn't expect. Rumor reached my ear that a certain Interrogator had to clean himself off in the showers for three hours to get the stench of cow dung off him after what you did. It took that long for people to stop laughing at him as well" He said and Naruto's eyes widened remembering what he did to Ibiki on his eleventh birthday, sending a bucket of it from a slingshot right at him when he unknowingly activated a wire.

"Is that the methods of a clown? No, that is the methods of someone who seeks to improve himself and will do whatever it takes to do so damn the consequences. Your much smarten than you let people in on aren't you? Not even The Hyuga eyes can detect your true methods and reasons for doing things." He said with a chuckle. "If you had a sensei who actually bothered to train you properly, you could have made Jonin by the time you was eight if you wanted too." He said shrugging. "Your ambition and desires are second to none, they might even surpass my own and I assure you I have pretty high goals."

Orochimaru suddenly appeared in front of him leaning close to him. Naruto gritted his teeth but was unable to do anything despite every muscle in his body yelling at him to strike him down.

"You have loyalty and will put up with anything The Leaf gives you, even if ordered to fight naked, your not a Ninja you're a lapdog." He said grinning showing his fangs unnerving Naruto. "You may have your friends and their acceptance for now but they will always have second guesses about you a thought that gnaws at them in the back of the mind that will never leave. Like I said we are similar in so many ways" He said to him.

"So tell me Naruto, what will you do, when the village believes that you are untrustworthy despite having done everything for them, despite sacrificing everything all for the good of Konoha, what will you do when they deny you what you desire?" He said his voice a whisper.

"When they prevent you from becoming The Hokage because of you know what, will you accept it? Or do something else…" Orochimaru said and he suddenly disappeared in a blur out of sight.

Naruto stood there for a long while as Orochimaru was out of view, the boy stood there rooted to the spot

Thinking about what he just said…

A/N: That's it for this story. Review please.


	2. Bonus

Since so many people requested and had wanted it, I decided to add a bonus chapter concerning Naruto's thoughts about Orochimarus' words about them not so different.

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto.

Seated on his bed Naruto looked on glaring at the piece of paper in his hands, staring at it disdainfully and with disgust. It was the request he had put in, a request to see if he could be made Chunin and promoted. After all he had done for Konoha it should've been obvious in his mind what the answer would be. However not everyone agreed with his assessment.

The words at the top on the paper printed in bold were Denied. He had been denied by them, the paper going on about how he was not yet ready lacking the proper training or mental prowess in order to be promoted to the next level. In other words, they were holding him down with an bullshit of an excuse to keep him as a Genin when he was well beyond that and more than capable of being Chunin and more right now.

Crumbling the paper he ripped it in half and then teared it again and again and flung the pieces into the air flittering through it.

He had went to Tsunade demanding to know why he was being held back and had been denied the opportunity to become Chunin.

"Why was my application and request rejected Baa-chan?" He angrily asked her as she was seated at her desk. "This is the third time I've been rejected to become Chunin." He said to her who shook her head.

"I'm sorry Naruto, but being a Chunin bears a lot of responsibilities and given your antics in the past its possible that you may get careless and endanger others." She said to him and he scoffed. "Being a Chunin also shows that you will be a leader as well on missions and we can't have mistakes happening especially right around now.

"Kiba's a Chunin, what has he shown to make himself worthy of being a leader? The idiots' plan is to charge headfirst into everything and get himself creamed and me have to save his hide." He said voicing his displeasure to her that the hot blooded and rash Inuzuka was a Chunin while he was still a Genin. Shikamaru, Neji, and Sakura he could understand why they were above him in rank but others he didn't. "Hinata, as much as she's a friend of mine just now has learned the 32 palm attack, something Neji pulled off effortlessly during our fight three years ago and she's a Chunin as well. Hell, even Ino is a Chunin while I'm still stuck as a Genin and treated as a mere foot soldier. Do their parents really have that much influence?"

"Naruto…" Tsunade said warning him.

"I've done everything for this village. 'Naruto go escort some spoiled brat.' 'Naruto we need to put a new poison on you to make sure it works, don't worry your healing factor should save you.' 'Naruto we need you to destroy something in a prison but we're not telling you anything and instead we're going to have you locked up and not even try to defend you.'" He said voicing his displeasure regarding the Blood Prison. "And what have I've gotten in return? Nothing. Konohamaru wanted me to be his subordinate at the last Exams and you looked like you were contemplating it! A little appreciation and reward for my efforts would be nice. I could be Jonin by now if I wasn't being held back by others." He said his anger growing with each passing second.

"That is enough Naruto!" Tsunade said to him. "You will be made Chunin one day. No one is conspiring to hold you down or prevent you from succeeding despite what you are thinking. You just have to be patient."

"Yeah, I'll will be one day. When I'm eighty years old and decrepit." Naruto said bitterly.

Tsunade went to say something but Naruto turned and walked out of the room before she could.

At the present Naruto had a frown on his face, it had been a week since his encounter with Orochimaru and despite it Orochimaru's words still rung in his mind since then.

"_We are not so different you and I."_

He gritted his teeth remembering his words. First he wanted to tell him to go to hell but as the days went on and the more he had thought about them, he came to a startling realization.

He and The Snake Sannin weren't so different at all…

Orochimaru was a genius, unparalleled in the creation of Jutsu. Many Jutsu used even by the Leaf he had a hand in creating. Even one of Kakashi's favorites The Futon Daitoppa followed up with a fireball he had made. And it wan't that he created them from scratch instead he had improved on basic Jutsu making them more dangerous and deadly. The Phoenix Stream which hid shurikens and kunai inside the fireballs? He had created that. Using an Genjutsu to make it look like they were sinking in quicksand and be buried alive if they don't speak? Orochimaru had first used it. That and numerous other Jutsus Orochimaru had created or had improved on. And Naruto was no different as he had improved on his moves and methods, such as his new move, The Rasenshuriken, attempts to use it before had nearly destroyed his hand and it would tear his arm apart if he continued using it. He then discovered that he could instead use it as a Projectile instead which had torn Kakuzu apart.

He had improvised, made something that wouldn't work before and created a new move that would destroy anything in its path. Just like Orochimaru had done.

He had gotten access to the Library and looked up data on him. Orochimaru after his parents death was also shunned and at times feared cause of his snake like appearance and gold eyes and cruel demeanor. They were at war so that could be excused, but it was frightening how Jiraiya had told him that while people in Konoha respected Orochimaru's abilities that he had, they were more frightened of him because of it.

Just like him…the people in Konoha were afraid that he would snap at anytime and let loose with Kyuubi. Some may have accepted him but there was still those he noticed who looked at him with mistrust and suspicion, the same way Orochimaru had been around Naruto's age and younger.

They were more alike than he had ever thought possible. Orochimaru had mentioned tunnel vision and Naruto again saw similarities. If something didn't go the way he planned, he would move on to something else such as his attempt to find Sasuke. Orochimaru had tried to channel moonlight and harness a way to make people go temporary insane by exposing them to it but had given up on it as it would take too long and the rewards wouldn't be worth it. Instead of repeatedly trying something that ended in failure the two moved on to other matters. Not like Sasuke he said, who was still obsessed with obtaining power to kill his brother.

He also mentioned that they both would and did anything they could to obtain what they wanted. Orochimaru was uncaring in what his experiments did to his test subjects in his desire to obtain immortality. And Naruto was willing to do anything he could, no matter what people said or how they treated him in order to become the next Hokage. He didn't care what The Council which had rejected his request numerous times thought about him or that people denounced his dreams and mocked him.

Anger growed in his mind still remembering The Council having rejected him. He was more than ready to become Chunin, he should be one in his eyes And yet time and time again they would not allow him to be promoted coming up with stupid excuses not too. Were they such as Danzo that afraid of him? That fearful he would become an enemy? That he would be like Orochimaru and only use it and Hokage as ways to use power and experiment on people with them not able to stop him? Orochimaru was also feared after his experiments had failed resulting in him becoming unpopular with Konoha and being denied Hokage…or so he said The Snake could very well be lying through his teeth.

He turned his head and looked out the window and he saw Sakura Haruno walking across the street and he watched on. She looked beautiful with the way the setting sun highlighted her figure and body. He watched as she walked the pink haired girl unaware of his blue eyes watching her. Slowly a smile played across his face at the girl he had deep feelings for.

But it disappeared when he thought of Anko Mitarashi, she was a Kunoichi who was Orochimaru's student once and rumors said that one time she was in love with the man who had trained her. But Orochimaru had used her, branding her with a cursed seal using her as a tool and after breaking her had tossed her aside laughing. Would he do a thing to Sakura as well? Manipulate her? Use her? And then discard her after he had no more use from her.

No…

He would never do that to her. He would not even bear the thought of even trying to do such a thing to the girl who he wanted to spend his life and have a family with whether it be Sakura, Hinata, TenTen, or someone else. He would never do such things that Orochimaru had done to her or to other people.

"Orochimaru… we maybe similar but I will never be like you. I will never stoop to what you've done and become the monster you have turned yourself into." Naruto vowed and looked out the window in the direction of the Forest outside of Konoha.

As if sensing that he was watching him from afar…

A/N: That's it for this. Review please.


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